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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — wild animals
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pop — soda
  7. bank — for money
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — magic
  10. mark — a grade
  11. spell — a short time
  12. game — a match
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pop — music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spell — letters
  23. pop — to visit
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com